Wringer release



Sept. 22, 1942. N. L. ETTEN WRINGER RELEASE Filed Sept. 29, 1938 6 SheeS-Sheet l Sept. 22, 1942.

N. l.. ETTEN WEINGER RELEASE Filed Sept. 29, 1938 6 Sheet's--SheerI 2 Sept. 22, 1942.

N. l.. ETTEN wRINGER RELEASE Filed Sept. '29, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 22, 1942. N. l.. ETTEN WRINGER RELEASE e sheets-sheet 5 Filed Seplz. 29, 1958 cwefzgor/ Maia? Zie/2 N. l.. ETTEN WRINGER RELEASE Sept. 22, 1942.

Filed Sept.` 29, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Sept. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WRIN GER RELEASE Nicholas L. Etten, Waterloo, Iowa Application September 29, 1938, Serial No. 232,376

3 Claims.

This invention relates to clothes wringers of the conventional domestic washing machine type, and deals with improved structurefor making such wringers safer in operation.

The particular object of the invention is to provide structure wherein the roll pressure may be instantly released, permitting the rolls to be separated, and the rotation of the rolls stopped without any part of the Wringer being dangerously propelled by the explosive force of the released roll pressure.

Another object is to provide in a. wringer, as above described, structure whereby the roll pressure may be quickly and easily reset and the roll drive restored.

And a still further object is to provide a wringer that is low in height and that has smooth contours so as to facilitate and make Wringer operation Safer.

Other objects and benefits will be disclosed by the following descriptions and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional elevation View of my wringer in closed wringing position;

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation view of my wringer partly in section to show the relation of the parts shortly after roll pressure has been released;

Fig. 3 is a broken side elevation View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the relation of the parts just as roll pressure is about to be reset;

Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation View of my wringer partly in section, showing the relation of the parts after roll pressure has been released and the upper frame and roll have moved to their highest extended position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partially broken crosssectional end elevation view of the wringer upper frame and release parts as they appear on the section lines '5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken cross-sectional View of the upper frame and release parts as they appear on the section lines S- of Fig. 1;

Fig, '7 is an enlarged isometric View of the release link, whose function will be later described in detail;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged isometric view of the upper roll bearing and bearing bracket;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged isometric View of the lower bearing support bracket with cross rod to contact the spring;

Fig. l is an enlarged isometric View of the release latch with torsion spring in position; and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged isometric View 0f the toggle pivot bracket.

Now referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I designate a 55 conventional wringer head by the numeral I2. It will be noted that this wringer head is controlled by a handle I2 which will drive the wringer in forward or reverse direction or stop it in neutral position. Attached to the Wringer head I2 is a lower frame I3 carrying a drain board I3', and mounted upon this lower frame is an upper frame I4. I designate the lower roll by the numeral I5 and the upper roll by the numeral IB.

A single leaf spring I'I is supported on a cross bracket I8 and an adjustable screw I9. It will be understood that by adjusting the screw I9 more or less spring pressure may be obtained.

Resting upon the ends of the spring are lower bearing brackets 22 which are supported by cross pins 2| normally resting on the ends of the spring Il. The lower roll I5 is journaled in bearing blocks 23 which are supported by the bearing brackets 22 as shown. By the foregoing structure it will be understood that the lower roll I5 is urged upwardly by the spring I l.

The upper roll I6 is journaled in bearings 24 supported in slidable bearing brackets 25 and 25 as best shown in Fig. 8. It will be noted that the bearing bracket 25 has upwardly extending ears 2'I and sidewardly extending ears 26 which are designed to contact a cross pin 20 and thus limit the upward movement of the bearing brackets, as best shown in Fig. 4. On the inside trunnion of the roll I6 is a spur gear 23 which in normal operating condition, as shown in Fig. 1, meshes with a companion spur gear 29 driven by gearing in the gear head I2. It will thus be apparent that when the wringer is in closed operating position the gears 28 and 29 are in mesh and the upper roll may be driven by the gear head I2. The upper roll bearing brackets are tied together by a cross bar 33 mounted by pins 30 and 35 through the ears 21 of the upper bearing brackets 25. It Will be noted that the pin 35 engages the cross-bar 33 through a slot 34, in order to permit free movement of either end of the roll and prevent binding if one end of the roll rises to a greater height than the other.

As best shown in Figs, 2 and 4, a release link 36 is pivotally mounted on the'upper frame I4 at pivot points 31. As best shown in Fig. 7, the release link 36 has dual arms to attach to the sides of the upper frame I4 and these dual arms are provided with spacer lugs 3% to hold the link 36 centered within the upper frame and are connected by a cross member 35. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, this cross member 36 abuts the pivotal latch member 38 which is pivotally attached to the upper frame I4 by the pivot pin 38.

This latch member 33 is continuously urged to clockwise rotation on the pin 38 by a torsion spring 39, as best shown in Fig. 2. As best shown in Figs. and 6, this pivot pin 3S also connects the upper frame I4 and the cross bar 33 by links 3i attached to the upper bearing bracket 25 and the cross bar 33 by the rivet 30 through slotted holes 32. The purpose of this construction will later be described in detail.

Now again referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be noted that the upper frame I4 is attached at the outer end to the lower frame I3 by a toggle lever and handle structure consisting of pivot bracket 43 attached to the upper frame I4, a pin 43 connecting this pivot bracket and a handle 45, and dual toggle links 45 connecting the handle 45 and the lower frame I3 by bracket 44 attached to the lower frame I3 and pivotal rivets 45 and 45".

Now referring to Figs. 5 and 6, I will describe the release handle structure. Release handles 4l are mounted on each side of the upper frame I4 by means of inwardly pierced ears 48 which pivotally support a lever arm 4l' by means of pivotal rivets 49. These lever arms 4l are arranged to contact the lower edge of the release link 36, as shown. It will readily be appreciated that when the operator exerts a downward force on a release handle 4l, the release link 3E is tilted upwardly on the pivot 3l and the cross bar 35 is lifted from behind the catch 33 of the l-atch 3S, which releases the latch and permits the upper frame I4 to move upward. By referring to Figs. 1 and Ill it will be noted that the release latch 38 has dual angular latch surfaces 42 which latch behind outwardly extending projections 4I of a pair of latch brackets 4G attached to the outer opposite sides of the lower frame I3. It will be obvious that the cam action of this angular latch surface 42 will overcome the torsion of the spring 39 when the cross bar 35 releases the catch 38 and will have the effect of rotating the latch 38 counter-clockwise, whereby it will be released from behind the member 4I permitting the upper frame I4 to move upwardly,

Operation Having thus described the structure and relation of the parts of my wringer, I will now eX- plain its operation. Referring to Fig. 1, I show the wringer in closed operating position. It will be noted that the inner end of the upper frame is held in position by the latch 38, which is held in position by the trip link 36 whose cross bar 3S abuts the inside edge of the latch projection 38". On the outside end of the wringer the upper frame I4 is held in position by the handle and toggle mechanism 44, 45, 45. It will be noted that the inner surface of the pivot bracket 43 seats against the projections 44 on the bracket 44 to maintain the upper frame in a location such that the pivot points 43', 43 and 45" are practically in line, and, therefore, the toggle lever system is in a locked position.

Now referring to Fig. 2, I show the condition y just after the latch link 3S has been lifted behind the projection 38 of the latch 38. This permits the latch 38 to rotate counter-clockwise, releasing it from the projections 4I on the lower frame I3 and thus permitting the upper frame to move upward. However, this upward movement of the upper frame I4 is controlled by the dual links 3l attached to the pivot pin 33, as shown. It will be obvious that this upward movement of the upper frame must generally follow an arcuate path, as indicated by the arrow which is an arc from the center of the pin 35. Such movement of the upper frame I4 on its inner end forces the outer end of the upper frame outward and puts the toggle mechanism in released position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Now referring to Fig. 4, it will be apparent that the upper frame I4 and the upper roll I6 can move upward, as illustrated. The inner end of the upper frame mechanism is stopped in its upward movement by the ears 26 of the upper bearing bracket 2'5 when it contacts the cross pin 20. The outer bearing bracket 25' is also permitted tc. move upward, as shown, because this outer bearing bracket 25 is practically free, due to the slot 34 in the cross bar 33. It will be obvious that the handle 45 and the links 46 must follow an arcuate path, as shown by the arrow which is an arc around the pivot pin 46". Again referring to Figs. 2 and 4, and considering the above action as regards the handle 45 and the links 46, it will be obvious that the handle 45 has no tendency to iiy outward because the toggle is released by the outward movement of the upper frame I4 which releases the toggle without outward movement of the handle 45. It will, therefore, be apparent that I have eliminated all danger from the handle 45.

Now referring to Fig. 3, I will describe how the.

wringer is again placed in pressure position. The inner end of the upper frame I4 has been set over the lower frame I3. The latch 38 has been latched behind the projections 4I, as shown, and the trip link 3S has dropped behind the latch projection 33 so that the latch will not be released when wringer pressure is applied by the toggle lever The handle 45 and toggle mechanism now assume the relationship as shown in Fig. 3, and it will be obvious that downward movement of the handle 45 will effectively force the upper frame and roll into locked pressure relationship, as shown in Fig. 1.

With the foregoing explanation, it is believed that the construction and operation of my wringer will be fully understood.

I claim:

1. In a clothes wringer, a lower frame, a lower roll, a spring supporting said roll, means for adjusting said spring, an upper roll, bearing brackets slidably mounted in said frame for supporting the upper roll, a cross bar connecting the upper ends of said bearing brackets, an upper frame, latch means to attach the upper frame to the lower frame on one end, means to release said latch means, handle and toggle lever mechanism for forcibly connecting the opposite ends of the frames in pressure relationship, `and pivotal links connecting the upper frame, cross bar and upper bearing bracket on the latch end, whereby the movement of the upper frame upon release is controlled in an arcuate path to release the toggle mechanism without dangerous outward movement of the handle.

2. In a clothes wringer, lower and upper frames, a pair of cooperative rolls, resilient means urging said rolls into cooperative pressure relationship, slidable bearing brackets in the lower frame supporting the upper roll, a cross bar connecting the upper ends of saidbrackets, releasable latch means connecting one end of each of the frames, handle and toggle mechanism connecting the opposite ends of the frames, and pivotal links connecting the latch end of the upper frame with the cross bar and bearing bracket whereby the release movement of the upper frame is controlled to release the toggle and handle mechanism withmechanism connecting the opposite ends of the frames, and means responsive to upward movement of said one latch end of the .upper frame to impart substantially horizontal movement to said opposite end of the upper frame whereby the release movement of the upper frame is controlled to release the toggle and handle mechanism Without dangerous outward movement of the handle.

NCHOLAS L. ETTEN. 

